Easy DIY Homemade Lip Balm Recipes – our top 3 faves, including a perfect Valentine surprise!!! 🙂Super quick and easy too! Sometimes you just can’t find the perfect lip balm for you lips, and probably the biggest complaint is that they usually dry your lips out or actually make them seem more chapped. What we’ve discovered is that often times, that either un-natural chemicals or possibly too many ingredients have been added to the mix. And guess what? We can’t fool our bodies…they will ultimately tell us what they won’t put up with. So, what’s a girl to do (or guy, for that matter)??? We think there’s a super simple solution….just make it yourself! We know what you’re probably thinking, because we thought the same thing ourselves once upon a time–“eeek! That’s crazy!?” right? Not so much. It’s actually super simple to do, and super cheap (YAY!). Just make it yourself! Have we lost our minds??? Well, we won’t go there, lol. But actually when you see for yourself how simple they are to make, you’ll wonder what took you so long. 🙂 So depending upon your lips and potential irritants, we think the safest place to start is with a very basic recipe. Once you try this, you may be so in love that you won’t want to do a thing, or you may get a little tingly thrill that gets you excited to venture into doing a little more playing. Either way, we think it’s a good idea to start with the basic, and then branch out from there, if you like.

BASIC LIP BALM RECIPE

1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 tablespoon shredded beeswax (pack firmly)

1/4 teaspoon honey

Some people microwave these, but we’re not so certain about microwaves…so we like using a double boiler. Mix the ingredients together in the top pan of the double boiler until melted, then remove and stir until it starts to cool. It will turn a creamy yellow. As the mixture is thickening, add it to a container an let it stand about a half hour. Wait patiently (if possible) and then viola! Enjoy!

LIP QUENCH MOISTURE BALM

2 teaspoons cocoa butter

2 teaspoons grated Beeswax

1 teaspoon vegetable glycerine

1 teaspoon tsp olive oil

Using a double boiler, mix the ingredients together in the top pan of the double boiler until melted, then remove and stir until it starts to cool. It will turn a creamy yellow. As the mixture is thickening, add it to a container an let it stand about a half hour. Wait patiently (if possible) and then viola! Enjoy! TIP: If you want to add color to either of the above recipes, use mineral powder eye or cheek colors for a tinge of color. Stir a small amount of the pigment in right after removing the melted mixture from the pan, until you get the desired color. Stir well and pour into individual containers. IMAGE

And for a little Valentine’s Treat, we thought you might like something Chocolatey! So how about… CHOCOLATE KISSES LIP BALM

2 tablespoons cocoa butter

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1/2 teaspoon cocoa

1/4 teaspoon honey

Using a double boiler, mix the ingredients together in the top pan of the double boiler until melted, then remove and stir until it starts to cool. As the mixture is thickening, add it to a container an let it stand about a half hour. Wait patiently (if possible) and then viola! This one will even taste yummy! You could add a few nuts and get a little exfoliation action too–just kidding! 🙂 Enjoy, and we hope your Valentine’s Day is even sweeter!

Q&A

HOW LONG WILL THESE KEEP? It depends upon several different factors, including where they are stored, room temperature they are used in and humidity. But remember, they don’t have any preservatives (YAY) so we recommend watching them closely and once they start to smell, look, or taste bad, it’s time to replace them. WHAT IF IT TURNS OUT TOO HARD? Add a little more oil to the recipe WHAT IF IT TURNS OUT TOO SOFT OR RUNNY? Add a little more wax to the formula. WAIT A MINUTE–CAN I ADD ESSENTIAL OILS? It depends. We do love some of the therapeutic effects of some essential oils, but we also are big believers that they should just be used for therapeutic effects, so if you don’t need them, we say, back off. We’ve got a lot more to say about this HERE. Would you like to see a video demonstration of any or all of these recipes???? Let us know and we’ll whip one or two together for you 🙂 xox Laurie & Tiffany